2019 Election will take place in May – registration in January

The 2019 elections will take place in May with the actual day still to be decided, while the final voter registration weekend will take place on 26/27 January.

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chairperson Glen Mashinini made the announcement at a press briefing in Centurion yesterday.

He said the commission had met with President Cyril Ramaphosa in August, and he had said that he wanted the elections to take place before the end of May. By law, the elections need to take place by August 2019.

Ramaphosa is expected to proclaim the election date in February, Mashinini said.

The voter registration weekend will allow new voters to register, and for those already on the voters roll to change their details if they needed to.

Voters will have to provide their address or a description of where they live, but documented proof of address is not required, he said.

The IEC is also putting in place plans for South Africans living outside the country to register to vote at embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad.

The date for the international registration weekend will be announced soon, and is likely to take place just before or after the South African registration weekend.